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Mike Scioscia postgame interview

Mike Scioscia postgame interview

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What was your view of the strikeout?

MIKE SCIOSCIA: It was a swing, our catcher caught it, Doug Eddings called him out, and somewhere along the line because the guy ran to first base, he altered the call. He called him out, and that's what is disappointing. When an umpire calls a guy out and you're the catcher, and I've caught my share of them, he's out. He didn't call swing, he ran him up with his fist and said "You're out."

Have you seen the replays? Have you seen the replays where it was distinctly shown where he called him out?

SCIOSCIA: I saw it.

Is that why you went back out there afterward?

SCIOSCIA: Yeah.

As you came back in?

SCIOSCIA: Right. There's a lot of focus on that play, but we didn't play to a high enough level tonight to win the ballgame. That's the bottom line. You have to play at a high level enough. If there's a call you don't get or something happens, a bloop, whatever it might be, you have to play at a high enough level that you should be able to absorb it. We didn't get it done offensively. Our guys pitched our hearts out, and in the behind Crede came up with a big hit.

Despite everything, Washburn threw a 4 2/3 innings, and you saw everything that he had to deal with.

SCIOSCIA: I thought Wash did a great job, and his makeup is such that that's what you expect from Wash. He felt fine physically as he started. He got a little wobbly as the inning got into the fifth, but he did what we needed him to do, put us in position to win that game or to set up our pen to win that game.

Unfortunately Buehrle, he was terrific. He matched four of our pitchers with what he did, and he pitched an outstanding ballgame.

What explanation did you get from the other umpires you talked to? Did they say that he didn't ring him up?

SCIOSCIA: They said that the play wasn't finished, the ball hit the dirt. I haven't seen a replay, but I thought he caught the ball.

That's not something where you can ask for help from other umpires?

SCIOSCIA: We asked for help from five other umpires. If we could find six, we'd ask for help. They saw the play that way and they gave him first base. Again, there's a lot of focus on that play, and yeah, it's tough. It was at the end. It was tough we were out of the inning, but the bottom line is we didn't play well enough to absorb something like that and we have to play to a higher level.

Despite saying you didn't play at a high level

SCIOSCIA: No, we didn't play well. We didn't play well on the field, we didn't hit the ball. We'll bounce back, though. You have to give Buehrle some credit. He pitched a terrific ballgame. Wash had an easy come backer that led to that first run, and after that he settled down and got us to a certain point, but we just didn't play the type of game that we needed to tonight, and part of it was Buehrle pitched a terrific game.

About Pierzynski, did he do what just any batter would do or that is what any batter does?

SCIOSCIA: The hitter can take off, but as a catcher when an umpire calls him out, rings him up with a fist, he's out.

Back, last night you made a comment about matching up Donnelly against a guy in a situation. Tonight that situation presented itself and you were successful in that. I know you said you didn't play that well, and please answer this question. When you really look at the replay and you had some time to think about it, are you going to be in favor of replay in these situations?

SCIOSCIA: No, I'm not in favor of replay at all, not certainly on something like that. There might be some replay that can come in on a home run fair or foul or fan interference, something like that, but as far as plays around the bases or home plate or pitches like that, I don't think the replay is anything that we should bring into the game.

Last night Brendan was up throwing in case the game got away from Scottie Shields, but Scottie Shields was going to go after Konerko. Tonight we brought him in after the fifth to clean up for Wash and he did a terrific job. We liked the match ups with Dye and Konerko coming up.

If you could talk about the job your pen did in general tonight, particularly Escobar in getting you through those three innings.

SCIOSCIA: Well, our pens have just been terrific, not only through these playoffs but for the whole season. Kelvim has been huge getting back into that bullpen, taking pressure off of Scot and Francisco and Brendan, he did what he's been doing. Three innings, I think he has that ability and that's big for us. He was stretched out enough where he could go multi innings if he needs it. He did a terrific job tonight. One of the only poor pitches he made was really the 2-0 pitch to Crede and that just got away from him.

Courtesy of FastScripts by ASAP Sports. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.